Halfway Point 2024: Mapping the Future of Healthcare

Written By Caroline Lucas

As we hit the halfway mark of 2024, the healthcare industry is witnessing significant transformations driven by technological advancements, shifting consumer preferences, and economic factors. These trends are reshaping the way healthcare is delivered, experienced, and perceived. Let's take a closer look at the key developments that are shaping the healthcare landscape in 2024 and beyond.

Artificial Intelligence Revolutionizes Healthcare:

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing healthcare delivery, and is expected to grow by 36.7% in the global radiology market CAGR from 2021 to 2030 (1). Generative AI aids healthcare professionals by summarizing medical research, reducing development time for healthcare technologies, and aiding in diagnosis, particularly through advanced imaging. Furthermore, AI is tackling mundane tasks, addressing chronic staffing shortages, and enhancing the patient experience.

Where & How?

Aidoc: Aidoc is a leading AI startup focused on radiology. Their AI solutions analyze medical imaging in real time, helping radiologists prioritize life-threatening cases and ensure quicker diagnoses. Aidoc's algorithms are designed to detect various conditions, including intracranial hemorrhages and pulmonary embolisms, significantly improving the efficiency and accuracy of radiology departments.

Wearables and Apps Enhance Patient Engagement:

Wearables and companion apps empower patients to manage their health, shifting focus from chronic care to wellness. As more wearables enter the market, health tracking and proactive healthcare management improve. Integrated apps enable remote monitoring and patient engagement. In February 2024, a man credited his Apple Watch for saving his life after it alerted him to a dangerously low heart rate, leading to a hospital visit where he was diagnosed with a complete heart block and required a pacemaker (2). Many start-up and early-stage companies are now leveraging wearables to further enhance patient engagement and healthcare outcomes.

Where & How?

Omada Health: Omada Health offers a digital program that combines wearable devices with personalized coaching and behavioral science to help individuals at risk of diabetes. The program has shown success in reducing participants' risk of developing type 2 diabetes through weight loss and lifestyle changes. They also offer a program for managing hypertension, utilizing connected blood pressure monitors and health coaching to help patients control their blood pressure more effectively.

Myia Health: Myia Health leverages wearable devices and a sophisticated analytics platform to monitor and manage chronic conditions remotely. Their system collects data from various sources, including wearables and connected devices, to provide a comprehensive view of a patient’s health. Myia Health aims to improve patient outcomes and reduce hospital readmissions through proactive care management.

Focus on Data Equity, Privacy, and Access:

With AI's increasing role in healthcare, ensuring data equity, privacy, and access is imperative. Companies are investing in data privacy measures and ethical AI use. Open sourcing of healthcare technologies aims to build more equitable and accessible healthcare systems, promoting inclusivity and equity.

Where & How?

Data Donation Platforms: Initiatives like Sage Bionetworks and PatientsLikeMe enable individuals to contribute their health data to research projects anonymously. These platforms prioritize data privacy while facilitating access to valuable health information for researchers, ultimately advancing medical knowledge and benefiting the broader population.

AI-Driven Health Equity Platform: The Platypus AI-Driven Health Equity Platform focuses on utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare to address disparities and promote equity. It emphasizes data equity, privacy, and access by investing in measures to ensure fair and secure use of healthcare data. Additionally, the platform supports open-sourcing of healthcare technologies, aiming to create more equitable and accessible healthcare systems, thus fostering inclusivity and equity for all individuals.

Sustainability in Healthcare Technology:

Consumer demand for sustainable healthcare solutions is driving companies to prioritize decarbonization and waste reduction. Unsustainable practices in healthcare harm the environment and directly impact human health by causing air and water pollution, leading to respiratory and other health issues. Our efforts to improve health can inadvertently degrade the environment, which in turn harms our health—a more cyclical relationship than many realize.

Where & How?

Philips' Green Initiatives: Philips has committed to becoming carbon-neutral by 2025. Their efforts include reducing the carbon footprint of their products and increasing energy efficiency in manufacturing and operations. Philips has innovated its product life cycle and waste reduction, selling over 30,000 refurbished items globally in 2020, recycling 90% of its industrial waste, and providing over 1500 accessories and spare parts to extend product life.

Telehealth Adoption by Kaiser Permanente: Kaiser Permanente has significantly reduced its carbon footprint by 7,500 metric tons per year in its Northwest region (3). Their promotion of telehealth services decreased the need for patient travel and reduced emissions associated with transportation.

Employer-driven Healthcare Innovation:

Employers are driving innovation in healthcare to meet the evolving needs of their workforce. Trends include an evolution in healthcare delivery, personalized support, and a focus on health equity. Value-based care models, leveraging data insights, and improving access to behavioral healthcare are key strategies employed by employers to foster a more accessible, efficient, and equitable healthcare system.

Where & How?

Strive Health: Strive Health, an innovator in kidney care, has been recognized with multiple Best Place to Work awards, including Forbes America's Best Startup Employers. They promote diversity and inclusion through Employee Resource Groups and support employees with flexible time off, mental health tools, and wellness resources like Carrot Fertility and Peloton memberships. Their comprehensive approach aims to create an environment that supports employees in and outside of work.

Pareto Intelligence: Pareto Intelligence, provides an open PTO policy, tuition reimbursement, and monthly reimbursements for gym memberships or cell phone expenses. They support community giveback by donating to employee-chosen charities and offer a $100 stipend for home office equipment. They offer a flexible work schedule offers a new office including a rooftop deck, tenant lounge, free bike storage, and a discounted state-of-the-art gym.

(4,5)

Surgical Robots Augmented with AI:

Surgical robots, already established in operating rooms worldwide, are becoming smarter with AI integration. Connected to AI platforms, these robots aid in surgical decision-making, with expanded capabilities expected in the future. Augmented and virtual reality technologies enhance surgical training, advancing precision and patient outcomes.

Where & How?

Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci System: The da Vinci Surgical System is a robotic surgical platform that allows surgeons to perform complex procedures with precision. Recently, it has been integrated with advanced AI to enhance real-time decision-making during surgery, improving outcomes and reducing recovery times.

Maria Middelares Hospital in Ghent, Belgium, achieved a groundbreaking milestone by performing the first kidney autotransplantation using the da Vinci SP single-port surgical system from Intuitive Surgical Inc. This minimally invasive procedure was performed on an 18-year-old woman with a severe ureteral lesion. Since May 21, 2004, the hospital has integrated the da Vinci SP system into daily operations, affirming its safety and effectiveness (6).

Medtronic’s Hugo™ Robotic-Assisted Surgery (RAS) System: Hugo integrates AI and data analytics to enhance surgical precision and decision-making, aiming to improve patient outcomes and reduce recovery times.

As we navigate through 2024, these trends will continue to shape the healthcare landscape, driving innovation, improving patient outcomes, and transforming the way healthcare is delivered and experienced worldwide. This ongoing evolution promises not only enhanced efficiency and effectiveness in healthcare delivery but also holds the potential to democratize access to quality care, bridging gaps in healthcare disparities across diverse populations. Moreover, as these trends gain momentum, they have the power to foster collaboration among stakeholders, from healthcare providers to technology developers and policymakers, in creating a more resilient and responsive healthcare ecosystem. By embracing these shifts and leveraging the opportunities they present, we can collectively forge a future where healthcare is not just a service but a cornerstone of an indicator of social well-being and innovation.

Caroline Lucas
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